Man shoots roommate in face and hides body in bedroom for days

An Indiana man will serve many years in prison after repeatedly shooting and killing another man and attempting to clumsily conceal the body in his own bedroom.

In March, James Grossnickle, age 54, was found guilty by a jury in Marion County of murder related to the September 2024 shooting death of 40-year-old Craig Esmon Jacobs. 

The defendant was also found guilty of illegal possession of a firearm by a violent felon.

This week, Judge Jeffrey Marchal of Marion County Superior Court sentenced Grossnickle to 62 years in incarceration for these offenses.

"The jury uncovered the truth the defendant tried to conceal last month, and today the court affirmed that truth with a sentence that reflects the gravity of his offenses," stated Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears while announcing the sentencing. "I commend our trial team for ensuring this defendant will spend the rest of his life imprisoned for the lives he has affected."

The underlying incident took place in early September 2024, at the defendant's residence on South Gray Street in Indianapolis.

On September 4, 2024, officers from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department were dispatched to the residence after friends discovered the victim with multiple gunshot wounds in a locked bedroom.

Authorities reported that the victim had been shot multiple times in the face and appeared to have been deceased "for some time," according to court documents accessed by Indianapolis-based NBC affiliate WTHR.

Investigators learned from witnesses at the crime scene that Jacobs had been missing for several days. 

Concerns for the victim’s welfare arose after Grossnickle was overheard making "numerous" comments about shooting Jacobs, authorities explained. 

The victim's friends eventually forced open the bedroom door, discovered his body, and called law enforcement.

The witnesses provided damning evidence to authorities, according to court documents accessed by the local Fox affiliate WXIN.

A witness reported visiting two days earlier and inquiring about Jacobs, but was advised against it by the victim's roommate.

"[Grossnickle] warned [the witness] not to go back there because [Jacobs] was b– and in a bad mood," one document indicates. "[Grossnickle] mentioned he had a disagreement with [Jacobs], and then [Grossnickle] began to boast and made comments like 'I'm a crazy motherf–, I'll shoot you in the head and I'll send your family a bag with body parts.'"

Later on the same day, law enforcement apprehended Grossnickle on East Edgewood Avenue after receiving tips about an armed individual suspected of the shooting on Gray Street.

Nevertheless, the murder weapon was actually located inside the defendant's vehicle after he was detained.

In an interview while in custody, Grossnickle admitted to authorities that, days prior to his arrest, he shot Jacobs "multiple times" in the head until his weapon jammed.

The now-convicted man also admitted to locking the door and reinforcing the lock with a screw following the incident.

After a three-day trial, the defendant was found guilty.

"The defendant tried to conceal his actions and behave as if nothing had changed, but he was unable to avoid the truth," Mears remarked in a press release following Grossnickle's conviction.